Dazed and Confused

          December 1, Chico, CA--- You know when I first talked to my editor here at Long Island Motorsports News, he told me, “Don, you are a columnist, not a reporter”. My first question was, what’s the difference? A reporter will tell you what happened and give you the facts; a columnist will give you an opinion. Well believe me I had lots of opinions! My latest “opinion” is this Aaron Fike guy. Who is that, well here is some history. 

          Aaron Fike began racing in 2001, in the USAC Silver Crown Series, he became the youngest driver to win a Silver Crown race, breaking that record previously held by 4 time NASCAR Cup Champion Jeff Gordon. He finished 10^th in points and earned the Rookie of the Year award. In 2002, he won 7 midget feature races and won the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association championship. In 2003, Fike won the World Championship Midget Feature in Auckland, New Zealand, and the USAC Night Before the Race 500. He made his stock car debut in an ARCA RE/MAX race at South Boston Speedway, where he posted a 9^th place finish. He begin to race part-time in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2004, with the #42 GIC-Mixon Motorsports car. His best finish that year was 17^th. In 2005, Aaron Fike signed a driver development deal with Brewco Motorsports, and split driving duties in the #66 Duraflame Ford Taurus, with Greg Biffle. He got an 8^th place finish with the #66, and his best finish with the #42 was 14^th, then at the end of the year he was released from Brewco Motorsports.  In 2006 we saw him run 2 races for Kevin Harvick Inc. This year, in 2007, Fike got a ride with Red Horse Racing, in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where he had 4 top-ten finishes, but this past July that all came to a fast stop.  

          Aaron Fike didn’t get hurt in a crash; he didn’t get bumped because of his driving, and no the team didn’t close down. Aaron Fike, NASCAR Craftman Truck series driver, got busted for using heroin! On July 7^th, 2007 Fike and long time girlfriend, and fiancée, Cassandra Davidson, were arrested. According to press accounts, 2 security officers at King’s Island Park became suspicious when they saw Fike’s truck with a towel draped over the front seat headrests, which were hiding the back seat of the truck. When officers asked Fike to get out of the truck, Fike climbed into the driver’s seat and tried to drive off, hitting one of the officers with the passenger side-view mirror. A parking lot officer parked his bike in front of the truck, and Fike stopped. City of Mason police searched the truck and found several syringes, and one that had a brown liquid inside. Spoons with residue, alcohol swabs, a cup with empty balloons that appear to have held drugs and a bloody napkin were also found in the truck. Fike admitted that the liquid found in the syringe was heroin, and Davidson stated that the needles and heroin were used by both her and Fike. Davidson had a full syringe and was getting ready to use it when the officers approached the vehicle. Both were arrested on charges of possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia, they were arraigned a few days later.  

On July 11^th 2007 Fike was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR. Red Horse Racing also released Fike from his contract the following day. Now,  Fike did plead guilty, but he initially pleaded not guilty. His charges were reduced, and he was charged with 2 misdemeanors; attempted possession of drugs and having drug abuse instruments. He was sentenced to 2 years probation after agreeing to establish a non-profit anti-drug group, Racing Against Drugs.

          Well, now that we know a little bit more about Aaron Fike, here is my take on this. He should never be allowed in a race car again! Yup, that’s right, I said it.  

 He was recently quoted saying,  

"After four months of intense rehabilitation, I know that if it were not for my arrest, I would be dead," he said. "At one point during my addiction, I stopped breathing and nearly died. Sooner or later, my luck would have run out."   

Now what about the others he could have killed, what about the other drivers he put in danger by using drugs while being on the track?  

"I made sure I was clean when I went to the track.”  

Says who? Him, a drug addict? Just because he didn’t shoot up before he jumped in a car, doesn’t mean that it made this any better. I will be the first to say that everyone can make a mistake, and that we all deserve another chance, but sticking a needle in your arm is not a mistake! He did this knowing what he could have lost, knowing that he was putting others in danger, and knowing that he would screw up a chance that not many people get. To race in one of NASCAR’s top series. How many people get the shot to be where he was? Thousands of local racers would give anything to get the chance that he worked for, and what he did was a slap in the face of each one of them.  

Fike plans to set up information tents at each NASCAR track, to talk about the “mistake” he made, and give motivational speeches about staying clean. He also plans to have a website up soon. Until NASCAR lifts his racing suspension, he is barred from all NASCAR tracks.  Fike hopes NASCAR will give him a temporary license that will lead to his full reinstatement. I surely hope not. He had his shot and he blew it! Time to give someone else the chance to drive, someone that deserves it.  

It is great that he is cleaning himself up and that he has started a group to help others stay away from drugs, but this does not make up for what he did. NASCAR doesn’t play around when it comes to drug use, and this is not anything new to the NASCAR world, Busch Series driver Shane Hmiel, had this issue too. Hmiel was suspended by NASCAR from September 2003 to January 2004 for the first failed test and then indefinitely after the second failed test in late May 2005. He was "suspended for life" after a third failed test, which was announced in February 2006.

          NASCAR has indicated it will go slowly in recertifying Fike.

"It's possible, but he's got some work to do before we get there," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said. "After he's completed the legal process, he will have to undergo an evaluation by our substance abuse experts and follow a prescribed program that they would set for him."

Poston said NASCAR has no timetable other than "when we're confident he's ready to return." Fike said he'll do whatever it takes.

The chance that Aaron Fike will return to NASCAR racing is good, if he does all the right things, but in my opinion, it’s just wrong. 

DON RUNKLE

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 Runkle has worked for Causey Motorsports in Hampton, Va. for 4 years, was a part-time Crew Chief for Rette Causey,  driver of #33 INEX/Legends car in 2005 at Langley Speedway in Virginia, as well as being a crew member for Brad Causey in Grand Stock division at Langley Speedway.  He's currently the webmaster of CauseyRacing.com.

Runkle has been racing "online" for about 5 years, served in the US Navy as a Gunners Mate in the Navy Seabees and is currently living in Chico, Ca. in the beautiful North Valley of California, with his even more beautiful wife, Kristina. God Bless all of the troops serving around the world!

For any question, comments, complaints, or just to say “Hi” please feel free to email him at DRunkle@LongIslandMotorsports.com. Don welcomes anything you have to say and will get back to you. If you have something you would like for Don to cover, let him know.  And as always, thanks for reading his column.